Lesson for June 3, 2018

Today we participated in an additional lesson on ministering presented by Susie Sullivan. Our challenge last week is finding our love language. How many of ou have had doubts about the Church. Nearly everyone raised their hands. What to do about it? President Holland said that belief is a precious act and the first step toward conviction. Why do we find it difficult to ask difficult questions? We don’t want to tear down the faith of those we associate with. We don’t want others to know that we don’t know because it makes us look weak. We want people to still love us. Sometimes the questions people have distance them or makes them angry or frustrated. Sometimes doubts come from fear. Fear of not knowing. Fear of not being accepted. Fear of not having our lives turn out turn out like we expect. We can respond by asking people what caused that doubt. Jesus taught using parables and had people leave because they did not understand. There is power when someone has had a relationship with God in the past, so it is important to bring people back to what they do know. It is important to validate their feelings so they feel worthwhile. People will listen more to someone who is sympathetic. Sometimes people don’t want answers, they want people to be there with them while they struggle. Bearing testimony is something that can’t be refuted because no one can refute what your own experience is. On the other hand we must accept what others have experienced and not make them feel deficient. Make people feel worthwhile and valued. Listen to them. Ask them where they think the answer could be found. Love one another so people feel loved and worthy of your love and the love of their Heavenly Father. Sometimes people understand love by how they are loved. Try to find people who come from a place of faith. Sometimes we can believe in someone who has faith more than we can believe in God, so be that person who can be believed in. continue to pray for people so that God can influence. Serving others can help erase doubts because you are serving one of God’s children. Our own families can provide strength by providing relationships that can relate to the relationship with God. Serving with pure love is what we can do to help each other. We need to make church a safe place where people can feel accepted and welcome. their answers may not be the standard answers, but they themselves need to feel loved. We should welcome each other and lift each other up. Challenge: if you’re having doubts, find someone to talk to and approach it from faith and understand that God knows the answers.

Lesson for May 27 2018

Today our lesson was given by Lana Horrocks about the need for ministering like the Savior and how we should view how we minister to others. Last week we got the challenge to make a youth feel valued. Some sisters expressed some of the things they did. We are encouraged to get to know the young people better. Lana asked about how the Savior ministered. One sister said Christ ministered to the individual even when he was tire. The Savior teaches us to serve everyone. The Lord assigns us to get to know some we serve through our ministering programs. The Savior’s example guides and encourages us to listen to the Spirit to know what e should do. jean Brigha, our new Genera Relief Society President said the more we work on serving others, the more we will be eager to help others. How can we be like him to be eager to serve. Lana mentioned Stephen L.Anderson’s talk at BYU about ministering. he gave examples from Christ’s teachings to feed His lambs ad feed his sheep. Elder Anderson told of a BYU student who was having a tough time and was sent a text by her roommate. The statistics about youth affiliating with faith shows a huge decrease in those who have faith. The holier way of ministering is to go beyond taking someone a casserole. Lana had us write down a name of someone who might need something using inspiration. He gave us a list of s small things we should notice about those we know.There is also a list for ourselves and areas wwe’e grown lax in. Lana gave guidelines about the difference between visiting teachers and ministers. she gave a handout about knowing how individuals receive love.

Lesson for May 20, 2018

Our lesson today was given by Karli Stewart on “Young Women in the Work.” Karli quoted the hymn “As sisters in Zion, we’ll a work together; the blessings of God on our labors we’ll seek.” Karli focused the lesson on the conference talk, “Young Women in the Work” by Bonnie l. Oscarson. Several sisters told about events they were involved in as young women. They all said these experiences make a difference in developing skills and what it has done for them in their lives. They are grateful for the opportunities to develop through learning responsibilities. Sister Oscarson said each young woman should feel valued and two more things. we al have challenges that we can feel confident about meeting such as the wicked world, electronics, acceptance, social situations, pressure to perform, mental health issues, that they have a place and feel valued, connection to the Church, getting good grades, anxiety depression. Sister Oscarson focused on self-worth issues. Service can lighten your burdens. Raise your hands to volunteer. Gain the confidence that will increase feelings of self worth. What you see on the outside of each person is not the life that person lives. It is in the struggle that determines how we grow. Volunteering can increase energy and increase self-esteem. Service can get us out of the dark places in our lives and away from our own problems. Service can also lessen our own feelings of depression. Our problems are real but service can make a difference. Mary, the mother of Jesus, served by being Christ’s mother when she was very young. She was capable. David was a young man when he fought Goliath. Joseph Smith was a youth when he had his first vision. The youth are cherished and loved by God. Changes in the Church regarding the youth include Come Follow Me, Family history, baptistery engagement in the temple, the age of missionaries. We can help by letting the youth work alongside us in giving service. Make it so there is no division between youth and adults. Compliment them and find positive things to involve them in. Attend their activities. The challenge today is to help a youth to feel valued. Heavenly Father made it so we wor together.

Lesson for May 6, 2018

Today our lesson was taught by Natalie Wankier about “Christ-Centered Healing: How to Respond When Mental or Emotional Challenges Affect You or Those you Love.” Natalie began the lesson with a goal of presenting general information about mental and emotional challenges, especially anxiety and depression. Natalie said if we’re experiencing these problems, we are not alone and it’s common to experiences them at some time or other. She gave us some background on anxiety and depression and said to realize thee problems are on a scale from mild to severe, Nephi’s psalm is about Nephi’s emotional problems. Job and Christ were also brought up. People in the scriptures are no different than we are. Their problems have been around a long time and seemed to be severe to them and they were severe, but the ones who turned to God were helped. We might ask ourselves why we are feeling like that when other people are going through worse. But it’s important to validate our own emotions. Past trauma or abuse and past events or attitudes affect us. We have chemical imbalances, stress, disruption, beating ourselves up, not eating right, not sleeping, can all affect us negatively. By getting 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week is the same as taking a low grade anti-depressant. There seems to be a direct correlation between physical and mental problems. Humans have an innate drive to heal. The healing process can be slowed down if here is debris embedded in a wound. Our brains try to heal us. Women often go back to abusive relationships. If they feel valued or able to renegotiate their relationships. There are things we can do to facilitate the growth we need and get a different perspective and know who we are. Elder Holland’s talk about “Like a Broken Vessel” with a lot of good advice. He tells us it is not shameful when we look for help. There are many resources to get help. Often the problem is genetic or medical, so it’s important to get the right diagnosis and the right medication. There is no need to carry this burden alone. Heavenly Father wants us to get this help. That’s why Elder Holland was inspired to give that talk. We shouldn’t think we must overcome this problem by ourselves. The gospel tells us we need to o what is needed to take care of our problems. Symptons can feel lighter if they are shared with an appropriate person, such as a professional. Mindfulness, being present, or coping strategies can be learned. Be open to our emotions teaching us. Acknowledge our feelings so we can know how to handle them. What works best for us is important. Knowing our own triggers can help us prepare for emotions we may experience. We can create emotional safety for ourselves and others by involving Christ in our healing process.

Lesson for April 29, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Karli Stewart about the talk by Neil Anderson on “The Voice of the Lord.” She began the lesson by showing a picture of the First Vision and another picture of Temple Square with similar light coming down. It looks very like the First Vision. Joseph Smith prepared for the First Vision by reading his scriptures, studying, and having a question. We can approach going to conference by doing the same thing. Karli read the account of the First Vision and Joseph Smith received directions specific to his questions. That is how we can have our own Sacred Grove experiences. We can hear the voice of the Lord through general conference. Karli asked us to think of how we can have such an experience and to write our ideas down in the little booklets we were given to write down our thoughts in Relief Society. Karli felt the need to have family Home Evening regularly. She got the prompting to read the Book of Mormon with each of her children before they graduated from high school. We need to look at what the Lord has done for us. We have to keep going on our journeys. We need to understand the promptings and go to the Lord for what we need so we can be calm when we encounter problems. Heavenly Father knows when we’re feeling stress and can give us relief. Elder Anderson said the General Authorities put in hours and multiple drafts to present what the Lord wants them to present. We need to prepare physically, and mentally to receive the messages. Tuning ourselves with the Spirit brings revelation. We have six months to to get the messages through listening, reading the talks later, watching them on LDS.org. Karli gave us quotes from General Conference to discuss in groups. Much discussion took place and good ideas were given. Elder Anderson said that now President Nelson s was inspired to learn Mandarin and was able to have friendships and experiences with people from China. What action plan can you do to insipiration you have received? What can you act on?

Lesson for April 22, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Kari Alsop. She started with asking “What questions do you have about your divine assignments Ansswers. For motherhood, saviors on Mount Zion, womanhood, patrichal blessings, callings, actions and answers to prayers. we are studying Elder John C. Pingree’s October 2017 Conference talk, “I Have a Work for Thee.” Kari asked us to take a few minutes and write questions we have about the work we need to do. President Monson said the Lord has more for your to do than you have for yourself. we would have to be very faithful to accomplish what we need to do. WE sometimes spend too much time engaging in all the things going on around us. Sometimes we need the time to wander around in our heads to get revelation. D&C 11:8 if you desire you shall be the source of much good in this generation. WE can remember that God can help us do the impossible. There are actions we have to take. The Lord appreciates us when we have a desire to do good. When we desire to take care of each other, God has a lot we can do. it is important for us to be part of the solution and we need to know what to do, rather like what happened with Nephi an Laman and Lemuel. Our divine mission is to live and spread the gospel and help others to desire the gospel. Elder Pinterest wants us to focus on others. Kari brought up Abish from the Book of Mormon who worked for the queen of the Lamanites. She was able to be tere when Alma and the king went unconscious and gathered people to see the miracle. The people were touched and converted. She was proof the culture and acted as a second witness. People’s lives were forever changed because of her actions. She had prepared for that moment. Kari had us listen to a recording of the hymn “As Sisters in Zion” about caring for others who are weary and weak through earnest endeavor. We should use what we are blessed with to fulfill needs. Every divine assignment helps to build us and our characters. As women in our homes we can lay the foundation of great works through small things. When you ask your Heavenly FatTHER he will give you ways to accept and prepare for what we will need to do to help others.

Lesson for April 15 2018

Our lesson today was given by Lana Horrocks on ministering.How we’re going to do this instead of visiting teaching—becoming involved in our sistter’s lives, we are to help our sisters become part of the church. Ho can we help others? We do not count numbers, but if we need to report what our sister’s and their families need. What would Jesus Christ want us to do to minister? We still visit and do Christ-like caring for others. We may show our gratitude and love to prepare to meet Christ by serving our sisters and learning to love them. We can use social media, email, visits and any way that is appropriate. We can be partners in accountability. We can pray for them. What is the Spirit inspiring you to do? We have to be willing to be served. Don’t overlook something that it ordinary. We should not be prideful. The Lord put people in our homes or sphere of influence we are supposed to help. We can eehlp with our husband’s responsibilities and those people our husbands are to help. We vieweD a couple of videos the Church has up o lds.org abou ministering. Look in 3 Nephi for every reference for ministering and one by one so we can implement with powere., so we all have opportunities to help. Brigham Young said the building up of the Church are to be done through little acts. Serve one another in a holier way.